


Family Matters

by Inrainbowz



Series: 2 Sons 2 Dads [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But Alec is past caring, Dancing, Downworlder Politics, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Maryse and Robert being shitty, Relationship Reveal, Single Parents, well not so single anymore heh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-31 07:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12677361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inrainbowz/pseuds/Inrainbowz
Summary: For Alec, Lily and Maia, this wedding between a Shadowhunter and a Downwolrder is an opportunity to reinforce their position and strengthen the bonds between their races.And for Alec to show off his boyfriends and kids in matching tuxes. No really, there's a link, it's totally legit.





	Family Matters

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of those who commented on the previous installment said they wanted to see that wedding, so here it is! The pairing is so random I didn't even tag it, but I like it. I didn't say quite all I wanted to say in this so there'll probably be a companion piece to this. This is mostly fluff. I love Responsible Grown-Up!Alec.
> 
> For the new people in town, this is a serie where Alec and Magnus are both single dads and meet when Alec is head of the Institue. Spark flies. Go read the other parts. Please.
> 
> Enjoy!

"You do realize I'm the one who's getting married right?"

"Huh, yeah."

"So why do you look even more nervous than I am?"

Alec let out a long, exhausted sigh, and fell back on Izzy's bed, his sister having gracefully lent her room for the preparation of the bride. Maia was scrutinizing her reflection in the full-length mirror propped up next to the bed, and Lily was sitting at Izzy's old desk. Both of them looked more worried about Alec than Maia’s impending lifelong commitment, which made him feel slightly ashamed of himself. One of his closest friends was living the most important day of her life, and here he was, making this about himself.

"I'm sorry Maia. I'm just... distracted."

"Don't worry, I’m just teasing. I know the meaning of this day, and I know it's not all about me."

"It should be though right?"

"We're not children anymore Alec. I know how life is and it's no fairytale. I'm getting married today, to the love of my life. It doesn't matter if it's a political event, too. We do what we have to do. I don't care."

She was more at peace with this than he was. How he wished his mind to be only troubled by arranging her dress perfectly and making sure there was enough to drink for everyone. Instead he was doing a mental check of the guest list for the hundredth time, paranoid that he had forgotten someone important who would get offended not to have been invited. It was absurd, of course. The Downworlders wouldn’t have hesitated to make their voice heard if they thought they had been wrongfully left out of the big event. It wasn’t even possible technically, since basically the whole of the Shadow world of New York was invited and then some, half of Idris, several representatives from other main Institutes and Cities…

Now wasn’t the time for logical thinking though. Now was the time for freaking the fuck out for no reason.

“They’re going to crucify us. This is how we die.”

“You’re such a drama queen. It will all be fine Alec. Half the people of New York have their kids at your school and they adore you.”

“Great, I owe my salute to a bunch of preschoolers.”

“For real, Alec, things have changed. We made sure of it, right? It’s going to be great.”

“You’re obligated to think that, you’re getting married.”

“I am, ain’t I?”

Lily and Alec smiled fondly at the dreamy look on Maia’s face. It was no wonder she seemed so unbothered by the politics, the compromises, the tension. She didn’t care. She wouldn’t have cared if they got married in a dumpster. She was truly above that all. Alec envied her.

He couldn’t help but worry, it was in his nature. He would officially put the spotlight on Magnus and their relationship tonight, on their kids too. He was sure of his decision but that didn’t mean it didn’t scare him.

“I can’t wait to see your brats in their tuxes. Your family is way too good looking Alec, it’s not fair. You’ll look better than Seb and me.”

Alec chuckled, grateful for Maia’s attempt at comforting him. He had told her all about his plans with Magnus of course, had even asked for her input on the color scheme. He wanted to do right by her first and foremost. She was taking way too much pleasure in this though, as was Lily.

Both of them were the reason why he wasn’t as worried as he could have been. Maia and Lily supported him as he supported them. The three of them, they had each other’s back and the support of their faction. As long as they stayed united, they were invincible. Maia and Lily knew Magnus, were fond of Rafael and Max, they would help protect them, just as together they had protected Maia’s relationship with Seb, just like they had protected Lily’s decision to stay on her own and not use marriage as a political move.

“No one will look better than you, Maia,” Lily said lightly. The girl turned back to the mirror and smiled at their reflection, radiant.

“I know, right?”

.

Maia was right, it felt an awful lot like he was the one getting married. Down to the moment of breathless wonder when Magnus walked into the reception room, dressed up to perfection, with Max and Rafael in tow, holding Magnus’s hands. The kids had quite a simple attire - Alec wasn't fond of burdening children with formal clothes - but both of them wore the same bowtie, dark blue with specks of gold that made for a star-filled sky, and that echoed Magnus's jacket and Alec's shirt. The sign was subtle but couldn't be missed - anyone present would recognize it as it was. A statement, a gesture, there would be no doubt, in anyone's mind.

Alec would have been melting from nerves, if he wasn't so busy staring at Magnus and thanking fate's bizarre ways of working, for having this man be here for him and no one else.

"I take it that you like the view," Magnus teased when he reached the door to the ballroom where Alec was greeting guests.

"I do, you guys look fantastic," Alec answered with a cheeky grin, addressing the two boys who were positively preening. Magnus chuckled.

"What is a man to do to get some compliments around here?"

He was smiling softly but Alec noticed that he was standing at a safe, appropriate distance. That wouldn't do. Now that they were here there was no point in hiding and Alec was determined to make the most of that evening no matter what. So he stepped closer to slide an arm around Magnus’s waist.

"You look... you look amazing," he managed to stammer close to Magnus’s lips, a bit overwhelmed. Alec was pleased to notice that Magnus seemed completely oblivious to their surroundings and the curious looks they were most certainly attracting.

"Thanks," Magnus answered, a little breathless.

"Can I kiss you?

The warlock gave a slight nod that, close as they were, almost closed the gap between them already. Alec kissed him lightly, never big on PDA, but it was enough to send his heart into overdrive and he felt his face flame up.

"Urg, dad, gross!"

They parted with a matching roll of eyes to glare at Rafael who was hiding his eyes behind his hand, while Max tried to smother a laugh. It was Rafael’s new thing, he called out any couple in his vicinity if they did so much as cuddle a little too intimately for his delicate senses.

"You're such a brat," Magnus chided lightly. It didn’t hold any heat - he was smiling anyway.

"I have to keep welcoming people," Alec said reluctantly, letting go of Magnus. '"I'll meet you back inside. Find Lydia, she'll show you where you are seated."

He watched them go inside the room and tried to ignore the eyes that followed them.

People were starting to join their seats and he could already tell which ones were displeased with the arrangement. Never would he have guessed that designing a table plan was harder than planning battle strategies, and not only because a misstep could actually result in a war, or at least an angry scruff. And having Magnus and his son sitting at his table with the rest of the Lightwood family would only add fuel to the fire of gossips and grudges.

All in its own time though. A lot of guests were still expected, mostly the vampires who had to await nightfall to make their way to the institute. That had been another concession from Maia and his husband - holding the ceremony at night so that all could attend, forsaking a sunny wedding in the bright summer light. Well, in truth it wasn't much of a sacrifice – Lily was Maia's witness alongside Alec. She would have held her wedding in a graveyard at midnight if it meant Lily would be by her side.

Alec wasn’t too worried about the vampires. Raphael Santiago had made a tremendous job at keeping them in check and bringing them closer to the other races, Shadowhunters and Werewolves included, and Lily was his proud and efficient successor. No, he was on the lookout for the worst guests as far as he was concerned – his parents. They had no reason to be late except that they wanted to socialize as little as possible. The older generations had a hard time swallowing the peace pill, and his parents were among the worst of them all. They held him responsible for the alliance between the Downworld and the Shadowhunters, and rightly so, but when it was worthy of praise for most people, it earned him only disappointment from his parents, and that terrible look of motherly betrayal that Maryse loved to stare him down with. He had hoped that this wedding would be too much of an affront for them to even show up, but unfortunately they would never pass up on the occasion to make their opinion heard, even if it meant suffering through a terrible time with people they despised.

When he finally spotted them by the entrance, he couldn’t help a life old reflex to stand a little straighter and school his features into an appropriate serious and somber expression. He hated how much of a grip they still had on him, but considering his life choices as of later, he would say he was still making a good job at straying widely from their expectations. That thought brought a tiny smile on his face that Maryse mistakenly took as addressed to her.

“Good evening Alexander. Is everything going well?”

“Evening mother and yes, it is. Actually it’s almost time to start. You’re among the last ones to arrive.”

No matter how much bite he put into those words it couldn’t embarrass his parents. On the contrary, they looked pleased to have been the ones people were waiting for. He followed them in the reception room and hurried to the stage so that they wouldn’t have the time to talk and start spewing rude comments before he started on his welcoming speech. He just took a second to check their reaction as they were lead to their table by Lydia and… yep, here it was. Maryse’s eyes widened enough that he expected to see her eyeballs roll out of their orbits and an unhealthy red spread all over Robert’s face. Alec saw him open his mouth. Time to interrupt.

“Good evening everyone,” Alec greeted into the microphone set up on the small stage at one corner of the room. He still wasn’t used to being the center of attention like this and struggled to keep his composure as all heads turned towards him. “I want to point out how glad and proud I am to see you all gathered here tonight for the wedding of one of my dearest friends. This is by many aspects a decisive moment in our history and I am honored and humbled by the chance of contributing to it. After decades of feuds and battle, you know it is our wish to put it all behind us and start anew with a peaceful, mutually beneficial relationship between our races, clans and cities. But I don’t want to make this about politics just now. This is first and foremost about love and commitment, it’s Maia Roberts and Sebastian Verlac’s day, and I hope all of you will make it memorable.”

They moved to the chapel for the ceremony. This was the part Alec was the least worried about. People could sit where they wanted, the solemnity and emotion of the moment would prevent any outbursts, and they just had to sit back and enjoy. After, there would be the dinner, the speeches, from family members, friends and officials alike, and that’s where he expected tensions to rise.

The wedding in itself was beautiful. They had put a lot of efforts in combining Shadowhunters and Werewolves traditions in finding ways to get around the thing they couldn't do – bites and rune marking. He got a bit teary-eyed by the end and when he looked away to try and compose himself, his eyes fell on Magnus in the crowd. The man was staring at him, an expression on his face that Alec wasn’t quite sure how to understand. Awed, but wary too, like he was reluctant to hope but did anyway. Alec got lost in his eyes, so much that he almost missed the kiss and official proclamation of the union. The room erupted in more or less enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Alec and Lily went to hug Maia tightly. She was radiant, smiling hard enough to break her face in half, her eyes shining. Alec hugged his cousin next, congratulating him warmly. Strangely enough he was closer to Maia than to him, but he appreciated the other man and his quiet determination. He looked shy and unassuming, but it was misleading – Sebastian was an immovable object when he wanted to be, and he had shouldered the wrath of their people with a stoicism that forced respect. It had paid off too.

Dinner went smoother than Alec thought it would. He could only thank Jace for insisting that the food be served before the speeches. His brother had been thinking about his stomach, but the diplomatic virtue of the move was clear too – people concentrated on their plate when they didn’t want to listen, and in a spectacular show of goodwill that he hadn’t dreamed possible, everybody made an effort to stay civil or at least, politely indifferent. The witnesses speech earned a few laughs and the new couple’s one, a few tears. Alec did his best to ignore his parents, a move thankfully followed by most of the people at their table – between his siblings and their dates, his kids, Magnus, his cousin Aline and her girlfriend Helen, it left Aline’s parents and his own on one side and the rest of the table on the other. No one made an effort to change that and it was probably for the best.

He didn’t spend as much time at the table as he wanted anyway. He had to navigate the room and give some of his time to each delegation, each group and faction. Along with Lily and Lydia – Maia was off duty for the night of course, even if he still spotted her with her diplomatic face on a few times – they worked on deescalating rapidly arising conflicts, playing mediators and making sure no fights broke out during the evening.

People scattered around the room as they neared the end of the dinner and when Alec went back to his table to catch a break before the cake and dance, he noticed too late that only his parents remained seated. He didn’t have time to change direction – judging by the scowl on his mother’s face and the way she was staring at him, she had been waiting for just that.

“I hope you realize this is a disgrace,” she spat as soon as he sat on his chair. He only gave an unconcerned shrug – he was in too good a mood to let her get to him.

"What part exactly? So many things must have offended you tonight, you need to be more specific.”

“Don’t take that tone Alexander,” his father warned. Alec scoffed.

“I am the head of this place and you are only guests. _You_ watch your tone.”

Robert was going to protest but his wife stopped him.

“Orchestrating this alliance wasn’t enough for you, you have to partake in it too?”

“I didn’t orchestrate anything mother,” Alec sighed, very tired suddenly. “Maia and Sebastian got married because they wanted to.”

“And you encouraged it. And now you’re showing off with this… warlock.” She had meant to say something else but a warning glare from her son had prompted her to use a different term. If they started insulting Magnus – more than they already were – he would also start being less than civil. “Didn’t you drive your point across enough? We’re friends with the Downworlder, great. No need to go… that far.”

She almost sounded concerned about him, as if she was worried he was acting against his own will. He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

“This isn’t the Middle Ages anymore. There is no such thing as political unions around here.”

“Why are you dating him then?”

He cast her an incredulous look.

“Have you ever heard about love?”

The barb was ill-received but before she could answer back, Magnus materialized at his side. The sunny smile he wore on his face left Alec with little to no doubt that the man had heard his latest line. Alec smiled in turn until Magnus tugged at him with an ominous “it’s almost time” while pointing at the cake being wheeled into the room, chasing the smile on Alec’s face as efficiently as his mother’s murderous glare.

Why had he agreed to this?

The cake was cut by the newlyweds, a huge monstrosity of cream and sugar, and then Jace, self-appointed “best DJ of you all nerds” settled behind the computer set up near the stage. He had made a playlist and all – he was taking this job very seriously, his very own contribution to this enterprise. He was a bad politician and an even worse negotiator, but he knew how to play a crowd just fine. Silence fell over the room as he called for their attention.

The first dance went to Maia and Sebastian, of course. The man had had ballroom training when he was young, it was part of the teachings young Shadowhunters received in Idris, a vestige of old traditions, like most of their lifestyle. Maia, of course, had had no such training, so he had been the one to teach her. Now that was something Alec would have liked to see. According to Maia, she wasn’t a very good student, but they had had a lot of fun.

She didn’t look like such a bad student now. She was beautiful and she looked like she was going to ascend to a higher plane of existence with how happy she was. Sebastian had an adoring look on his face, awestruck like he wasn’t sure he wasn’t dreaming. It was a wonderful sight.

As they were twirling around Alec got up, resolute, as Luke did the same at the other end of the room. They nodded to each other before turning to their dates. Alec tried to breathe around the lump in his throat as he offered his hand to Magnus.

They had talked about this, at length. With Maia and Sebastian, with Luke and Jocelyn, and with Magnus. It was traditional in both Shadowhunters and Werewolves culture – for the Vampire too, curiously, it raised questions as to where that came from – that the newlywed be joined by their commander. Alphas, clan head or family head, with their partners, joined on the second dance.

Now they could have done it differently. Among mundanes, it was more common for the couple to dance with their respective mother or father, an idea that both Maia and Sebastian had rejected in one breath. It was worth noting that among their generation, Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike seemed to have a terrible relationship with their parents.

Both of them were glad to have Alec and Luke join them first. Luke as a parental figure, Alec as a friend, and both further displaying fraternization between races.

Alec had agreed.

Now why the hell had he done that?

He was no stranger to dancing. He wasn’t even a stranger to dancing with Magnus, as it was one of their favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon when the kids were watching a movie or playing quietly in Max's bedroom. They spent a lot of time at Magnus's loft lately, to the point where both Alec and Rafael had a spare toothbrush and some clothes at the place. Rafael had a mattress in Max's room and actually slept there more often than Alec. Magnus had a busy schedule but he spent more time at home than Alec ever did, what with surprise attacks, out-of-town missions and summons in Idris because they couldn’t spend one week without asking him one thing or another. So on Saturdays, they took the boys to the park, the mall, the movies, the museum, and on Sundays they lazed around at the loft, and he danced with Magnus around the main room while their sons played together. 

Alec was no stranger to dancing with Magnus, but he was now facing a crowd of almost everyone he knew, and he had to dance with Magnus while they watched.

Why oh why had he agreed to this.

Magnus took his hand and stood up too, ever dignified and looking as at ease as if it was only the two of them in the loft one late afternoon. He was smiling, soft and reassuring like he could read Alec’s mind – and he probably could, or he could just read Alec very well.

“It’s going to be fine,” Magnus whispered, barely loud enough to be heard above the classical piece Maia and Sebastian were still dancing to. Alec didn’t believe him. They were stepping on the dancefloor with Luke and Jocelyn and everyone was staring at them with various degrees of outrage. Alec was liquefying. He could feel his mother’s horrified gaze on him, feel dozens of eyes calculating, judging, dissecting what they were seeing, their linked hands, their matching suits, the sweat pearling on Alec’s forehead. He thought he heard someone storm off, his father maybe. He was feeling dizzy.

The first song faded into the second one. Magnus took one of his hands, rested the other on his shoulder, and smiled.

“Stop thinking so much.”

“Easier said than done. Angels, I’m going to vomit. I need a distraction.”

Magnus’s face lit up in a mischievous smile as he leaned forward to initiate the first move. Above the first notes of the song he whispered in Alec’s ear. “Maybe one day we’ll have the first one?”

Alec was efficiently distracted for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> This is disgusting. Of course we're talking about Sebastian Verlac the Original here, since I ignore canon events cause I don't care. Anyway since that serie has no rhyme or reason, don't hesitate to ask for something you want to see next, and prompt me with a Supernatural episode title haha. Yeah that's still a thing. Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
